What is hydrogenation and how does it apply to peanut butters?
Hydrogenation is a chemical process that raises the melt point of liquid vegetable oils to make them solid at room temperature and improve their stability. This is achieved by chemically altering the oil-adding hydrogen atoms to oil molecules. It is typically a high heat process that employs a metal catalyst (usually nickel) to aid in the transformation. Manufacturers use hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils to achieve a desired product texture and to extend the product’s shelf life. This has a specific relevance for peanut butter. Many peanut butter manufacturers add partially hydrogenated oil to keep the liquid oil portion of peanut butter in suspension with the peanut solids – that’s why the peanut butter can be used immediately upon opening, without stirring. Use of hydrogenated oil has a side benefit of providing longer shelf life, too. MaraNatha products do not use and/or contain any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Instead, for our No Stir nut butters we blend
